Separate Then Together
by Meghan Page
Summary: A spacial anomaly separates Lieutenant Torres's DNA once more, leaving two B'Elannas aboard Voyager. And no one is more intrigued than Seven of Nine...
1. Chapter 1

**A/N** : My plan was to write a cute little wacky fic, not this giant gay monstrosity. But so it always goes for me, I feel like :P This is the easiest writing has come in a long time, and it was a blast to write, so I hope you have fun reading!

* * *

"Captain!" Harry Kim called, his voice laced with concern. A warning blip had just appeared on the console in front of him.

Janeway spun in her captain's chair towards him, keeping her command mask in place even as her heart rate jumped in alarm.

"Sensors are picking up a massive ion storm approaching from the starboard bow."

"On screen," she ordered, her eyes widening as the swirling mass of blue and purple took up the entire viewer.

"Can we outrun it?" she asked, turning to Tom Paris as his fingers flew over the helm controls.

Tom shook his head. "It's moving way too fast, we'd never make it."

"Then we'll have to get around it," Janeway said resolutely. "Tom, full warp, dead ahead. If we can't outrun it, we can at least try to get out of its way."

Tom acknowledged the order and punched the command into his console, sending _Voyager_ racing through space.

"I want full power to the warp engines. Yellow alert," ordered Janeway, console lights changing color in response to her words. Despite having full confidence in her helmsman, she wanted to be sure the rest of the crew was prepared for a less-than-favorable outcome.

After several tense seconds of watching the storm rush by on the viewscreen, she asked, "Are we almost to the edge?"

"Almost," reported Harry, "but the storm is approaching fast."

"Tom," Janeway called to him.

"I'm giving it all she's got," he said, his fingers dancing on the controls. "C'mon, c'mon…" he muttered, egging _Voyager_ to even faster speeds.

Even as the edge of the swirling blue cloud came into sight, Harry called out, "The storm's on us, Captain!"

"Brace for impact!" she cried, clenching the arm rests of her chair as the last arm of the ion storm buffeted _Voyager_ , sending crew staggering and sparks flying from consoles.

Below decks, B'Elanna rushed through the corridors towards Engineering, straightening her hastily donned uniform and muttering a string of curses under her breath.

"Useless piece of machinery, can't even wake me when it's supposed to…"

As the warning lights flashed, signaling the yellow alert, she let out an even louder curse and picked up her pace, anxious to get to her station before anything could happen. The lurching of the ship's hull only served to push her even faster towards her destination.

She was so focused on getting to Engineering that she barely even took notice of the string of bangs and sparks that chased her down the corridor as systems blew out in a chain reaction from the ion storm's electric charge.

She only looked up when a crewman called out from in front of her.

"Chief! Look ou-!"

B'Elanna never got the chance to turn around as the computer panels just behind her blew out, sending her flying forward in a shower of sparks. Her head hit the deck with a resounding thud, plunging her into blackness.

She came to quickly, her head pounding where it had connected with the floor. With a groan she pushed herself up on shaking arms, catching sight of the crewman staring at her from down the hall. He was frozen in place, his eyes wide and his jaw hanging open.

"What are you looking –" she began to ask, but cut off when she heard a slightly deeper echo of her words just to her left.

Turning towards the sound, she felt her own eyes widen as she came face to face with herself – or rather, the fully Klingon half of herself.

As her Klingon half's mouth quirked up into a smirk, the Human B'Elanna could not help but moan, "Not again."


	2. Chapter 2

Sickbay was feeling a little hectic occupied by an anxious Human and an agitated Klingon, so the Doctor was rather relieved to see the Captain walk through the door.

"Ah, Captain, so good of you to join us," he said, letting his stress show through sarcasm.

Janeway crossed her arms. "I came as soon as I could, your message made it seem rather… urgent?"

"See for yourself," the EMH said, gesturing towards the back of the room where one figure sat on the far edge of the biobed while another paced near the back wall.

As she approached, she finally recognized the hair and uniform of her Chief of Engineering.

"B'Elanna," she called out, ready to ask what was wrong, but stopped dead as she caught sight of the pacing figure's face. "A-and…" she choked out, but was unable to continue.

Helpful as ever, the Doctor finished her sentence for her. "That's right, B'Elanna and B'Elanna. It would appear our Klingon-Human hybrid is once again no longer a hybrid."

The Captain's gaze darted between the two B'Elannas, both of whom were staring back at her, the Human B'Elanna looking apprehensive while the Klingon just looked disgruntled, before snapping back to the Doctor.

"Wha-… This… H-how did this happen?" she stuttered.

The Doctor shrugged, his brows drawing in unease. "I'm not entirely sure. It occurred during our encounter with the ion storm. As you know, the storm managed to blow out a number of systems before we passed through it. It appears Lieutenant Torres was caught in one of the explosions. A crewman who was present at the time said the blast threw the Lieutenant forward, and when she hit the ground she seemed to just… split into two."

Janeway shook her head as if trying to make the confusing details fall into place in her mind. "I don't understand. Are you saying the explosion caused this?" She gestured towards the two women watching their conversation. Or should she say one woman? She could feel a headache coming on…

Lowering her voice slightly, she continued, "Do you think the Vidiians had some kind of involvement?"

The Doctor quickly shook his head. "Scans show no alien life forms aboard the vessel, and I can find no evidence of recent tampering with her genome. It appears to have just… happened."

Deciding that the details of _how_ could wait, Janeway asked, "Well, are you going to start recombining her DNA again?"

"I already tried, Captain," he informed her rather sharply. "But everything I've attempted has been ineffective. Until I can find a way to successfully recombine B'Elanna's genome, she – or rather, they –" he corrected himself with a tinge of humor in his voice – "will just have to wait."

Janeway wanted to argue, but she could admit to herself that the intricacies of re-sequencing DNA were a little outside her area of expertise. Instead she decided to focus on what she was good at: taking care of her crew.

"So, B'Elanna…" She paused, her eyes flitting between the two women once again. Letting out an uncomfortable laugh, she admitted, "I'm not quite sure which of you to address. Who's the real B'Elanna?"

"Neither of us," the Human B'Elanna said, just as the Klingon B'Elanna stated, "We both are."

When the Captain just looked more confused than ever, the Human B'Elanna tried to explain.

"Think of it like this. We're both B'Elanna because we both come from B'Elanna. We both have B'Elanna's memories and we're made of her DNA. I'm her Human portion, and she's her Klingon portion." She glanced over at her counterpart, who gave a decisive nod, then at Janeway, who nodded a little more reluctantly. "But using that same point, neither of us is the 'real' B'Elanna, because the real B'Elanna is the combination of us both. We're both only part of her."

Although she was not entirely sure she understood, Janeway could get where the Human B'Elanna was going. "So until we can get you reintegrated, neither of you is more 'real' than the other. Is that right?"

Both B'Elannas nodded vigorously.

"Well, this isn't going to get confusing," Janeway muttered under her breath.

Putting that thought aside, she got back into Captain mode, her voice becoming more crisp as she said, "Well, ladies, since the Doctor can't do anything else at the moment, we have to figure out what to do with you both."

Sounding almost shy, the Human B'Elanna spoke up first. "If it's alright, I'd like to go ahead and report for my shift in Engineering."

After a moment's thought, Janeway agreed. "Of course, I can't find any problem with that."

Turning to the Klingon B'Elanna, she queried, "And you, uh, B'Elanna?"

"I will go and use one of my holodeck programs," she informed the Captain. "Spending so much time stuck in here with the Doctor prodding me has been very… unpleasant."

Janeway turned to see the EMH looking distinctly nervous at the Klingon B'Elanna's words, even thought she was incapable of physically harming him.

"I can't find any problem with that either," she said. Waving the Doctor over she continued, "You both are dismissed. But I expect all three of you to report to the briefing room in one hour for a senior officers meeting. Doctor, I expect you to have a report on all of this by that time so we can debrief the rest of the officers.

"Aye, Captain," the Doctor agreed, heading for his office to begin writing it up.

She watched him walk away for a second, then turned back to the two women in front of her. "Well, B'Elanna… B'Elanna. I'll see you in an hour."

Spinning on her heel, she made a beeline for the door, murmuring to herself, "I hope the Doc can figure this out soon, or we're in for a hell of a few days."


	3. Chapter 3

An hour later found all the senior staff gathered around the table in the briefing room, with two exceptions: the Captain and B'Elanna.

The former's absence was rectified almost immediately as Janeway strode through the door, taking in the gathered faces.

Skipping the formalities, she went to the front of the room, saying, "Before we get into it, I'd like a report on the ship's operations after our brush with that ion storm. Seven?"

Although an ocular implant quirked in surprise at being the one addressed about this, Seven dutifully reported, " _Voyager_ is functioning within acceptable parameters. There have been numerous explosions of electronic devices on all decks, but repair crews are working as we speak to mend the affected apparatus. Several hours worth of ship-wide data has been lost from the main computer, but this loss does not seem to have adversely affected any major systems."

Janeway gave a nod, but before she could say anything, Seven interrupted.

"Captain, although I possess the relevant knowledge to make this report, should Lieutenant Torres not be the one to do so? Where is she?"

"That's what I was wondering," broke in Tom. "It's not like her to miss officer meetings."

"Well…" Janeway began slowly, "B'Elanna is actually the subject of this meeting."

Instantly every face in the room grew wide-eyed with concern.

"What do you mean?" asked Tom, his voice tight with worry. "Is B'Elanna okay? Is she hurt?" Although the two had broken up months earlier, they had stayed close, and the thought that his friend might be injured alarmed him.

"No, no, she's not injured," Janeway hastened to reassure him. "She's… Perhaps I should let the Doctor explain."

With a gesture from the Captain, the EMH handed out padds containing copies of his report and began explaining B'Elanna's situation.

After a few minutes, and several reminders from Janeway to stick to layman's terms, he sat back, letting the rest of the officers absorb the information.

"Well," Harry broke the silence, "now I'll actually get to see what the two halves of B'Elanna look like."

At Janeway's scolding "Harry!" and a slap on the shoulder from Tom, he held up his hands in surrender.

"Sorry, sorry! I was only joking." Folding his hands over his chest, he grumbled, "You did all get to see her the first time. Well, except Seven, but she wasn't even here."

Seven decided to speak up at the mention of her name. "I too am curious about the appearances of a fully Human and a fully Klingon B'Elanna."

Although there was an element of scientific curiosity to observing the separated B'Elannas, she also had a personal desire to see them. Ever since she had first met B'Elanna, the woman had drawn her intrigue. She found the Lieutenant's fiery personality and ever-present emotions fascinating, and had sought out every opportunity she could for interaction, even if it was adversarial in nature. And, though she kept it hidden, there was no denying that she found her very attractive.

Seven was curious as to how the separation of B'Elanna's genetic halves would affect her personality and interpersonal relationships. Would there be much variance in the way she interacted with Seven? Would Seven's attraction be affected?

"Well, since everyone seems so eager…" Janeway rose from her seat and crossed to the control panel on the wall, pressing the button that opened up a direct comm link with her ready room. "Ladies?"

The slightly rougher timbre of Klingon B'Elanna answered, " _Yes, Captain?_ "

"We're ready for you in the briefing room."

The senior officers sat in tense, expectant silence until the hiss of automatic doors had them spinning towards the entrance. Eyes widened and jaws dropped as two B'Elannas walked into the room. The Klingon B'Elanna was first, matching startled looks with a stare of her own, while the Human B'Elanna walked behind her, her eyes darting here and there nervously.

The room remained in silence as the two women took their seats at the end of the table, everyone just continuing to stare until the Klingon B'Elanna raised one thick eyebrow at the Captain.

Jumping as if she had been shocked, Janeway cleared her throat loudly, reminding everyone else that they were meant to be in a meeting, not at a curio show.

"Right. Now that B'Elanna is…" _Are? Oh lord…_ "here, let's hear what Tuvok discovered about the ion storm."

With a nod, Tuvok stood, handing out his own stack of padds. As he got to the two B'Elannas, he hesitated, then placed the padd between them, saying, "It appears that I have replicated too few."

Tom could not help the surprised snort that escaped him at the Vulcan's joke.

Tuvok ignored him, beginning his explanation of the unusual properties of the ion storm, which apparently consisted of a cloud of naturally occurring polaric ions.

"It is likely that the temporal charge of the storm is what caused the loss of data in the main computer – it sent the system back in time to before it collected that data," he explained.

"Is that what caused B'Elanna's, uh, condition, too?" Harry spoke up. "Didn't that crewman say she was hit by an explosion from the computer? The charge could have traveled through the ship's systems and into her."

Tuvok dipped his head in recognition of the Ensign's quick wit. "It is possible. Doctor?"

"You could actually be on to something there, Harry," the EMH said, wagging a finger at him thoughtfully. "I couldn't find any evidence of reverse tampering with the B'Elannas' DNA. It was more like my gene recombination had never happened."

"But why hasn't the Doctor been able to cure her like he did the first time?" Janeway questioned. "If the polaric discharge merely sent her DNA back in time to her first incident, shouldn't it be a simple matter of performing the same procedure to set her right?"

Tuvok answered, "It is unclear why usual methods would be ineffective. There may be some further aspect of the ion storm we have not yet discovered that may be affecting her. But perhaps now that the probable temporal aspect of B'Elanna's condition has been discovered the doctor can modify his methods to counteract it."

"Yes," the Doctor said slowly, his mind already calculating new formulas. "Yes, yes, I'll see what I can come up with."

Since she could not think of anything else that needed to be discussed at the minute, and since the Doctor seemed to be chomping at the bit to start researching new therapies, Janeway dismissed the room. The Doctor, Tuvok, and Chakotay left rather quickly, Janeway following not long after, only pausing to give the B'Elannas a brief word of comfort and encouragement.

Tom and Harry lingered longer, each wanting to talk with the separated B'Elannas. Tom put his hand on the Human B'Elanna's shoulder, speaking to her in hushed tones, while Harry approached the Klingon B'Elanna, wincing in pain when she heartily clapped him on the shoulder.

Seven waited to the side in her usual rigid pose until the two men had finished their conversations, taking this time to study the two halves of B'Elanna. The Klingon half's skin was darker than normal, her forehead ridges much more pronounced, her hair made of wild black curls. She projected physicality and motion, her stance wide and her gestures broad. The Human half in comparison seemed much more demure. She was slightly paler than her hybrid self, and her eyes looked wide and soft. She stood with one arm crossed over her chest as she held her opposite elbow in a kind of self-embrace.

Finally, Tom and Harry excused themselves and left the room.

"Good morning, Lieutenants," Seven greeted as she approached the two B'Elannas. "This is quite an… unusual situation. Do you feel abnormal?"

"Oh, well, I guess –" the Human B'Elanna began, but was cut off by a low throaty growl from her Klingon counterpart.

Immediately the Human B'Elanna flushed bright red and slapped the Klingon B'Elanna on the shoulder. Franticly, she hissed, "Stop that!"

Seven's brow furrowed at the Klingon's reaction. "I have said something to insult you, I apologize." Unsure of the proper protocol when dealing with an angry full-blooded Klingon, she decided the best course of action was retreat. "I will leave you."

Turning on her heel, she made for the door, only stopping when Human B'Elanna called out after her.

"Seven, wait!"

Seven turned back towards her, her cortical implant raised as she waited to see what the woman wanted from her.

"Um…" B'Elanna faltered, twisting her fingers together. "I, uh… I'll see you later," she finished in a rush, somehow blushing further.

Seven's implant rose further. "Indeed. Goodbye, Lieutenants."

As she left the room, she heard a long sigh from behind her, followed by a soft slap and an exclamation of "ow!" from the Human B'Elanna's higher voice just before the doors slid closed.


	4. Chapter 4

Later came rather soon when Seven noticed she would need to increase the power to her scanners in Astrometrics to take the necessarily detailed scans of the polaric ion storm. Realizing that this would also give her a chance to observe the newly split B'Elanna again, she found herself moving more swiftly than usual towards Engineering.

Looking around as she entered the room, Seven found the Human B'Elanna bent over a console, diligently tapping at the controls. Her Klingon half was nowhere to be seen.

She took a moment to study the woman as she worked. Human B'Elanna's warm brown hair had a slight wave to it that brushed her jaw as she moved her head from side to side. There was a difference in her stance that Seven had trouble pinpointing – a rounding of the shoulders, a settling of her weight to one side instead of centered – that made her look slightly smaller than usual. Her brow was furrowed in concentration and, as Seven watched, her tongue briefly poked out the side of her mouth. Seven was struck by how cute the action was.

Frustrated by her constant inability to keep irrelevant thoughts in check around the Lieutenant, Seven quit her observation and walked over to her. Approaching her from behind, Seven announced, "Lieutenant Torres, I require additional power to Astrometrics."

With a very un-B'Elanna-like squeal of surprise, the shorter woman spun around so quickly she overbalanced. Seven quickly reached out to catch her, her hand wrapping around B'Elanna's bicep as she steadied her.

When B'Elanna did nothing but stare at Seven's hand on her arm, she quickly snatched it back, linking it with the other behind her in her usual Borg pose. "Lieutenant?" she queried, perplexed.

B'Elanna snapped out of her stupor, blushing as words poured out of her mouth in a jumble. "Seven! Hi, um, I – y-you…"

"Lieutenant, are you damaged?" Seven asked, her concern growing at the other woman's babble. "Your heart rate is elevated, and your body temperature has increased by –"

B'Elanna flushed further but quickly assured her, "No, I'm fine! You just scared me! Is all…"

Seven settled back slightly at that, her ocular implant rising in amusement. "I do not think I've ever been able to scare you before."

"Well, I'm not really myself right now." B'Elanna's uncomfortable laugh quickly petered out as she tapped idly at the control panel beside her.

"An apt joke," Seven approved with a tilt of her head.

B'Elanna just stared at her with an odd look on her face before catching herself. "Um, what was it that you said you needed again?"

"I required additional power to Astrometrics in order to more effectively scan the ion storm that affected you."

"Right," B'Elanna agreed, moving over to the central console to make the adjustments.

Seven followed her, unable to stop herself from commenting, "Strange."

B'Elanna's head darted up to look at her. "What's strange?"

"Our present interaction has been quite different than usual." When B'Elanna just gazed at her curiously, she continued, "First you make a joke with me, which is not at my expense, and then you do not argue when I ask for more power."

B'Elanna looked sheepish and began to fiddle with the hem of her jacket. "Well, like I said, I'm not exactly the B'Elanna you normally interact with. If my Klingon half were here she'd probably sock you in the jaw. But since she's not…" She shrugged one shoulder. "I can see the merit of what you're asking."

"I see," Seve said thoughtfully. "Then is it your Klingon temperament that causes us to argue so often?"

"Well, I guess you could say that," Once more a blush tinged B'Elanna's cheeks. Then with a smile she added, "And also my engineer pride."

As Seven nodded, taking this in, B'Elanna typed a last set of commands into her console. "There we go. I've got the power to Astrometrics up by eighteen percent."

"Acceptable." Her task complete, Seven turned to return to Astrometrics. But before she could take more than a few steps, she turned back to the Chief of Engineering, once again noticing how deep and soft her eyes were. "Thank you, Lieutenant," she said lowly.

B'Elanna struggled for words for a moment, then simply nodded. Seven noticed the same increase in heart rate and temperature that the woman had displayed when she had first entered Engineering, and filed it away for further analysis as she spun once more for the door.


	5. Chapter 5

Several hours later, Seven finally stepped back from her console. She was satisfied that her scanners were now functioning efficiently in their scans of the ion storm and was pleased with the amount of data she had been able to gather. She would soon be able to compile an exhaustive report to give to the Doctor and Tuvok as they attempted to reverse B'Elanna's current state. But for now she decided to let the scanners do their work as she took her scheduled lunch break.

Although she still did not require as many nutrients as the rest of the crew, Seven had been following a schedule of three regular visits to the Mess Hall a day in order to appear more "Human." She was unsure if her observance of a standard eating schedule was having any kind of impact, as she was still rarely approached while she consumed her nutritional supplements, but she hoped that just seeing her there would help the rest of the crew views her as less abnormal.

After replicating a supplement, Seven chose a table and sat down, idly observing the room as she consumed her drink.

"Seven, hey!" She glanced up in surprise as her name was called, catching sight of Harry approaching her table with a tray.

"Mind if I sit with you?" he asked.

With a gesture she granted him permission and he settled down across from her.

"So," he said, wasting no time in bringing up the same gossip being whispered across the ship, "two B'Elannas, huh?"

Seven raised her ocular implant at him. "Indeed. It is a… strange occurrence. You mentioned this has happened before?"

Harry nodded eagerly, explaining what had happened to B'Elanna, Tom, and Lieutenant Durst back when they had encountered Vidiians on Avery III.

"All the senior officers got to see her – or, I guess, them – when it first happened except me. Since Tom was down in the mines too he got to spend the most time with them, or at least with Human B'Elanna." Lowering his voice, he whispered conspiratorially, "He told me that right before I managed to beam them up, Klingon B'Elanna was shot by the Vidiian that experimented on her. There wasn't enough time to get to Sickbay, so B'Elanna had to watch her Klingon half die in her arms."

Seven's ocular implant rose. "That must have been… traumatizing."

Harry shook his head incredulously. "You're telling me. B'Elanna's never really talked about it, though."

Looking around, Seven became aware of the absence of either B'Elanna. "Isn't this the Lieutenant's usual lunch hour? Why is she not here?"

"She's probably still in Engineering. I called her on the comm before I came up to invite her to eat with us, but she said she'd rather work through lunch." Thoughtfully, he added, "I think it's probably helping to distract her and make her feel more normal."

"Indeed. But what of the Klingon B'Elanna?" she asked as she realized they were talking about the Human B'Elanna as if she were the only B'Elanna aboard.

"Oh, I don't know," he said, recognizing the same thing. "It was the Human B'Elanna that answered my comm. She's probably still in the holodeck, she said she was going there before."

Seven nodded, then stood up from her seat. "Thank you, Ensign, for your company. I have enjoyed our conversation."

"Yeah, Seven, no problem," he answered, scrambling to gather up his tray. "Here, let me walk you out."

With another nod, Seven accompanied him to the recycler to dispose of their dishes, then they made their way towards the door. As they approached, the doors slid open to admit someone from the corridor outside.

Seven just had enough time to process a mass of black curls and dark, pronounced ridges before a thunderous growl pierced the air. Caught completely off guard, she had no time to react as the Klingon B'Elanna leaped at her, bringing her to the ground. She wasted no time in leaning down to bite Seven on the cheek, drawing a cry of shock and pain from the former Borg.

"Hey!" shouted Harry, gallantly jumping in and trying to pull B'Elanna off of Seven. But before he could do much more than lay a hand on her shoulder, she rounded on him, grabbing him by the front of his uniform and throwing him bodily across the floor.

Seven took the opportunity to twist away from her, scrambling back to her feet. Torn between making for the door or checking on Harry, she hesitated, and B'Elanna seized that split second to pounce on her again, driving her back against the nearest bulkhead.

Seven was surprised at the Klingon's enhanced strength, her arm like an iron bar against Seven's collarbones, keeping her pinned against the wall. She struggled against her, twisting her body to try to break B'Elanna's hold. In response, B'Elanna pressed against her, effectively stopping her movements.

This close, Seven could not help but notice the small details of her captor. The sharp edges of her teeth as she bared them in her face. The scent of sweat and musk that radiated from her. The same beautiful brown eyes she was drawn to in the Human B'Elanna, now dark and wild, the pupils blown wide. Similar to the readings Seven had taken from her Human counterpart earlier that day, her temperature was elevated and her twin hearts beat rapidly in tandem.

Knowing it was futile to try to throw B'Elanna off of her, Seven tried a different tactic.

"I do not know what I have done to insult you, but whatever it is, release me before security arrives," she ordered through clenched teeth.

"Insult me?" B'Elanna let out a low, soft laugh that Seven felt in her own chest. "Oh, Seven."

With that, B'Elanna's growl changed timbre, morphing into a rumbling purr. Her stance also shifted, her body rolling into Seven's, igniting a spark of heat low in her belly.

A gasp hitched in Seven's throat. This, feeling B'Elanna's curves pressed against her, was something she had fantasized about for far too long, and she almost subconsciously memorized the sensation. Taken aback by B'Elanna's actions and her visceral reaction to them, she watched as B'Elanna took her fully Human right hand and lifted it towards her. She ran her nose from Seven's inner elbow up her forearm, inhaling deeply as she reached her wrist. Then, she clenched Seven's fist in her own, driving her fingernails into her palm until they drew blood.

As the blood welled and ran towards the heel of her hand, the doors once again whooshed open, admitting a security team, headed by Tuvok, with phasers trained on the Klingon.

"Lieutenant," he called calmly. "Release Seven."

B'Elanna ignored him, her opposite hand running lightly down Seven's left arm, stroking her palm with the back of her fingers.

Signaling with a nod, Tuvok stepped forward, flanked by two of the security team.

Immediately, B'Elanna let out a growl, pressing herself closer to Seven and clenching her hand harder, making Seven gasp.

"There is no need to behave aggressively, Lieutenant. We simply wish to treat Seven's hand," he said placatingly, taking another cautious step towards them.

"Leave us alone!" she snarled, baring her teeth at him.

Coming as close as Vulcans could to sighing, he quietly said, "I apologize, Lieutenant."

In one swift motion, he stepped forward, pressing a hypospray to her neck and injecting her with a sedative.

B'Elanna's eyes widened briefly before rolling back as the sedative took affect. Her body slumped and was quickly caught by Tuvok, who ordered, "Computer, two for site to site transfer to the Sickbay."

As the sparkles from the transfer disappeared, Seven finally stepped away from the wall, feeling distinctly disconcerted. She walked over to where Harry was sitting, surrounded by several other concerned crewmen.

"Ensign Kim, are you damaged?"

"I'm fine, just a few bumps and bruises" he assured her, then caught sight of her hand. "But you're bleeding! Come on, I'll take you to Sickbay."

"That is inadvisable. The Klingon B'Elanna has been taken to Sickbay."

"Right." Harry grimaced in understanding. "We'll just get the Doc down here when he's done, then."

"Acceptable," Seven said with a nod, sitting down next to him. Carefully, she ran a metallic fingertip over her palm, inspecting the four small crescent wounds as she waited.

* * *

 **A/N** : The mating ritual that B'Elanna tried to initiate was one performed by Worf in episode 2x20 of TNG, "The Emissary." As Worf told Wesley in 2x10, an actual Klingon seduction would involve screaming, the throwing of heavy objects, and the recitation of poetry, but I thought the one I included was a little less... projectile :P


	6. Chapter 6

Seven felt uncharacteristically relieved as her shift came to an end, her mind still restive after her encounter with the Klingon B'Elanna in the Mess Hall. Although she had tried to focus on her work, she had not been able to stop herself from going over and over it in her mind. Why had the woman attacked her? What had she done to anger her? Or… had it really been anger? And what was the meaning of the Klingon's actions just before Tuvok sedated her?

Annoyed at these recursive thoughts and their detrimental effect on her efficiency, Seven resolved to do some research into the ship's database on Klingon behavior and see if she could shed some light on the situation.

After several hours of investigation and cross-referencing her own data, she believed she had her answer – although an altogether different one than she expected.

"Computer, locate Lieutenant Torres."

" _Lieutenant Torres is in Sickbay and her quarters_ ," the computer responded smoothly, ignoring the paradox of one person being in two places at once. Or, at least, what would have been a paradox until that day.

Seven reasoned that the B'Elanna in Sickbay was the Klingon one, as it was likely the Doctor would have kept her there after her sedation wore off to run some tests. With that concluded, she exited Cargo Bay Two and set off for B'Elanna's quarters.

As she approached B'Elanna's door, she slowed down, suddenly unsure if her present course of action was appropriate. How would the Lieutenant respond to what she was about to do?

At that moment, two crewmen approached from around the corner, and, rather than be thought to be lurking outside of B'Elanna's door, she reached out and pressed the door chime.

"Come in!" came the muffled reply, and the door slid open to admit her.

Stepping forward and scanning the slightly-dimmed room, she found the Human B'Elanna tucked into the corner of her couch, a padd in her hand.

"Seven!" she exclaimed. Seven could hear her heart rate jump immediately.

"Lieutenant," she greeted. "I hope I am not interrupting you?"

B'Elanna shook her head. "No, no, I'm just… reading." She shook the padd as if to demonstrate, then swiftly lowered it and averted her eyes.

Seven raised her ocular implant slightly. "I see."

There was a moment of awkward silence before she asked, "Will you ask me to join you?"

Startling slightly, B'Elanna hurriedly gesture to the couch beside her. "Yeah, of course, sit down."

She fidgeted slightly as Seven took her place next to her, her gaze skirting around the room.

"Would you like something to drink?" she asked, halfway out of her seat before Seven could refuse.

"I do not require liquid nutrients at this time."

She nodded, her eyes connecting with Seven's briefly before skittering away again. A pink tinge showed on her cheeks, and Seven picked up on a hitch in her respiration.

For a long moment, Seven merely sat and studied the woman beside her. She measured her rapid respiration and the beating of her single heart, observing the tiny beads of sweat along her hairline and the restless way she plucked at the seam of her pants.

"Um, Seven?" B'Elanna tentatively broke the silence. "Not that I'm not happy to see you, but –"

"You are?" Seven asked.

"I- What?" she said confusedly, caught off guard by the interruption.

Seven clarified, "You are happy to see me?"

B'Elanna's eyes widened and her flush deepened as she realized her slip of the tongue, but she admitted, "I, uh, I mean… well… yeah, I suppose I am."

Seven cocked her head to the side. "Interesting." This confirmation only provided more evidence towards the conclusion she had drawn.

"In regards to my reason for being here, which I assume you were about to question…" Seven paused briefly, allowing B'Elanna a chance to correct her, but when she simply continued to stare with wide eyes, she continued, "it is to discuss the actions of your Klingon counterpart earlier today."

B'Elanna's face twisted in a rueful grimace and she shuffled to face Seven more fully. "The Doc told me about that. I'm so sorry. I should have gone with her to the Mess Hall, just to keep an eye on her…"

"I accept your apology," Seven told her before she could ramble any further. "I wished to discuss some of her particular actions during the… altercation."

B'Elanna's brow drew inward slightly in confusion and interest. "What'd she do?"

Seven related the bite and the injury to her palm, watching as the blood drained from B'Elanna's face. She then recounted her research into Klingon behavior, which had taken her to a section on Klingon mating rituals.

At the word "mating," B'Elanna jackknifed upright, her eyes round in mortification.

"Oh god! I can't believe –! She should never have done that, Kahless, I'm so sorry…"

"Do not be," Seven said, bringing her up short. "She did not cause me any permanent damage. I was mostly troubled because I could not figure out why she did what she did. But I believe now I understand, and have formulated a response."

B'Elanna's attempt to ask her to explain was aborted by a slender finger against her lips. She swallowed heavily, then glanced up at Seven, nervous brown eyes meeting steady blue ones.

Slowly, Seven removed her hand, moving it to lightly trace B'Elanna's cheekbone and jaw before sliding it around into her hair. As her fingers carded through silky tresses, B'Elanna's eyelids fluttered slightly, her lips parting on a soft sigh.

Seven watched intently, amazed at the reactions she was drawing from the other woman. If B'Elanna responded so pleasurably to just her touch, she wondered, drawn in by pretty pink lips, then what would it be like to…

Cupping a hand around the nape of B'Elanna's neck, she pulled her in and pressed her own full lips to B'Elanna's bottom one.

The effect was instantaneous. B'Elanna let out a gasp then melted under her touch, one hand coming up to grasp Seven's forearm. Seven was astonished at how sweet she tasted, her soft lips molding to Seven's own. A shiver ran down her spine and she drew B'Elanna even closer, feeling the heat radiate from her body.

Instinctively, Seven changed the angle of their kiss, increasing the pressure of her lips until she could hear B'Elanna's heart thundering along with her own. She darted her tongue out, running it along the seam of B'Elanna's lips, and then –

" _EMH to Human Torres._ "

The two women sprung apart, their gazes connecting as they tried to catch their breath. B'Elanna's eyes were dark with arousal, her pupils blown just as the Klingon B'Elanna's had been as she pressed against Seven.

"Yes, Doctor?" she said haltingly with a tap to her commbadge, her stare still fixed on Seven's lips.

" _I believe I've found a solution to your current condition,_ " came the EMH's voice, sounding very pleased with himself. " _If you report to Sickbay, I can begin to reintegrate you and Miss Klingon here._ "

B'Elanna simply sat there for a moment, looking as surprised at the Doctor's sudden discovery as Seven felt.

Finally, she replied, "Acknowledged. I'll be right there."

There was a moment of silence as the two women just looked at each other, then B'Elanna abruptly stood, making straight for the door. As it slid open in front of her, she paused, looking back over her shoulder, and Seven could have sworn she was about to speak. But the moment passed, and the door hissed closed behind her, leaving Seven alone in quarters that were not her own.

Feeling abruptly out of place, she rose from the couch, her knees slightly shaky as her body attempted to acclimate to the sudden burst of passion and its just-as-sudden suppression. Quietly, she made her way into the corridor, barely able to keep herself from following B'Elanna as she turned away towards Cargo Bay Two.


	7. Chapter 7

Seven did not see or hear from B'Elanna again until several days later, when she was finally allowed to return full duties.

When they did finally see each other in Engineering, Seven was dismayed to find the nature of their interactions had changed once more. The Lieutenant had fallen back on a purely professional interaction, with no jokes, but no arguments either. Only a brief inquiry as to what Seven needed and a diplomatic assurance that she would look into it. She barely even met her eyes.

Bewildered by B'Elanna's cold manner, Seven left Engineering quickly after she had completed her task, making her way back to her safe haven of Astrometrics. Running some simple computations to help clear her mind, she tried to figure out what had gone wrong.

When B'Elanna had not contacted her during the previous few days, she had assumed the Chief of Engineering had needed that time to recuperate from her genetic recombination treatments. Now it seemed as if she had simply been ignoring her.

What could have caused her to withdraw? Had Seven been too presumptive in thinking that the other woman was attracted to her? Had she not really enjoyed the kiss?

Seven was seized by a sudden fear. Had she forced herself upon the other woman; exploited a situation where B'Elanna was, as her Human half had said, 'not herself'?

Guilt and shame washed over her. Her weak grasp of emotions had caused her to take advantage of a fellow crewmember and likely destroy any chance she had had at a familiar relationship with B'Elanna.

"Seven of Nine to Lieutenant Torres," she said as she tapped her commbadge. Even if the Lieutenant would never trust her again, she had to attempt to apologize.

After a moment of deafening silence, B'Elanna's voice came back, " _Torres here._ "

"There is a matter I wish to discuss with you." Seven paused, unsure how to phrase her request.

Warily, B'Elanna replied, " _Yeah?_ "

"It is of a… personal nature. Is there someplace private we could meet to talk?" she asked, her throat suddenly dry.

" _I'm in my quarters right now. I suppose you could just come by._ "

Seven's heart gave a jump. Unbidden, images of B'Elanna's soft hair in her hands, pink lips against her own filled her thoughts, her eidetic memory making the sensations as real as if they were currently happening.

Fiercely shaking her head, she quashed the memories down. "Acceptable. I will join you shortly."

As she made her way through the halls, Seven tried to formulate what she would say to the Lieutenant. Logically, now that B'Elanna was whole again, she should have been able to predict her responses based on their previous interactions. But her change in behavior had thrown everything off. Would she rail against Seven for violating her? Enact physical violence? Or would she simply push her away with more chilly dismissiveness? Somehow, she found herself hoping for one of the former.

Reaching the Lieutenant's quarters, Seven paused to take a deep breath, retreating into her Borg habits. Now was no time for her emotions; not when they had already hurt the woman she was here to see.

She pressed the door chime once, standing rigidly with her hands linked behind her back as she waited for the Lieutenant to answer the door.

Instead of calling her inside, as her Human half had before, B'Elanna came to answer the door herself. Her eyes quickly darted over Seven before she turned and invited her inside.

Seven stopped a few steps into the room, surprising B'Elanna into pausing as well. Resuming her rigid Borg pose, she impassively relayed her reason for her visit.

"I have come to apologize for my actions of a few days ago. It was inappropriate for me to behave the way I did."

B'Elanna turned away from her, but not before she caught a flash of pain in her eyes. Seven felt a knot form in her chest at the sight. Even when she tried to right her wrongs, she only made things worse.

With a halfhearted scoff, B'Elanna turned back towards her slightly. "I appreciate it, but it really should be me that's apologizing."

"You?" Baffled, a chink showed in Seven's Borg armor as she narrowed her eyes. "Why?"

Instead of answering immediately, B'Elanna paced a little ways away, her head down as she held her stomach with one hand and her chin with the other.

Finally, she said, "I'm sure it was disorienting dealing with two versions of me."

"It was… unusual," admitted Seven.

B'Elanna nodded slowly, the hand on her chin dropping to join the one around her stomach. "See? What happened wasn't your fault, no one could blame you for getting a little confused."

Not following her line of reasoning, Seven took a step towards her, her head tilted. "How would the existence of two of you make me 'confused'? I simply believed I was reciprocating your… advances."

B'Elanna threw her hands wide. "That's just it. You were reacting to how my separate halves were behaving towards you. It was all just a mix up."

Seven cocked her head further. "You believe your separate halves were behaving in a manner that would confuse me?"

"Yes, exactly," she said with a tinge of exasperation, as if she had finally gotten Seven to understand what should have been a simple concept.

But Seven still did not understand. "What manner would that be?" she questioned. "Why do you assume my judgment would be impaired by their actions?"

B'Elanna seemed to explode, whirling to face her, her eyes sparking. "Because I was nice!" she shouted.

Whatever Seven had thought she was going to say, it had not been that. "Elaborate."

B'Elanna's ire deflated, and she cast her eyes down, turning her face away again. Although she mumbled, Seven could hear her clearly. "You only thought you were attracted to me because I was being nice to you."

Seven was shocked by B'Elanna's revelation. Emotions swirled through her mind, finally settling on one: hurt. Did the Lieutenant really think that her interpersonal relationships functioned on so simplistic a level?

Hiding her distress behind a cold demeanor, she challenged, "You think I would form a romantic attachment on so flimsy a foundation?"

When B'Elanna could do nothing but stutter, she continued.

"Ensign Kim is nice to me. Ensign Paris is nice to me… when he wants to be." That drew a quiet scoff from B'Elanna. They both were familiar with Tom's fickle affections. "The Doctor is very nice to me, but I have denied his advances many times."

"What about the Captain?" B'Elanna asked reluctantly.

"She saved me from the Borg and has guided me through my time here. I owe her very much." When B'Elanna looked up at her with something akin to defeat, she softened her voice. "But I have never felt attraction towards her. Nor towards anyone else."

Seven stepped forward again, her voice lowering further. "Save you."

B'Elanna's head snapped up at her admission, staring at her with wide, liquid eyes.

Then she shook her head fiercely, squeezing her eyes closed. "No, no," she denied roughly. "I… It was a mistake. You only liked me because I wasn't acting like me."

Opening her eyes again, she met Seven's baffled stare with a watery one of her own, though she tried valiantly to hide it.

"I know it's my Klingon temper that makes people keep their distance," she continued. "It's caused me to be awful to you since we met. But then, while I was split, my Human half was so nice to you, so I can see where –"

"B'Elanna Torres," Seven interrupted, shocking B'Elanna into silence with the use of her given name. "Your Human half was indeed very kind and polite to me. But it was your Klingon half that made me realize your… interest in me."

B'Elanna looked stunned. Her lips tilted in a tiny smile, Seven attempted to explain.

"Her actions in the Mess Hall are what led me to consider the possibility that she was exhibiting mating behavior. Without her, I would have never recognized your Human half's attraction. I would have merely thought the split had made her more timid and less 'hotheaded,' as the Doctor would say."

B'Elanna let out a snort. "You really know how to flatter a girl."

Seven felt her cheeks grow hot as they flushed. "What I mean to say is that I enjoy both parts of you, not only the Human aspects. The split merely gave me the evidence I needed to finally act on my attraction."

"Finally?" B'Elanna caught at the word.

Seven's gaze became soft as a smile grew on her face. "Yes, B'Elanna Torres. I have been attracted to you for quite some time."

Relief flooded B'Elanna's features, lighting up her face like sunshine.

"I have something to admit," she said, her smile echoing Seven's. "I've liked you for a long time, too."

"You have?" Seven asked, nearly breathless. Then she truly hadn't assaulted the Human B'Elanna when she kissed her. The other woman had wanted it just as much as she did.

"Yeah, it's part of why Tom and I broke up," B'Elanna told her.

Shocked, Seven quickly did the calculations. "But that was…"

"Months ago, yeah." B'Elanna's mouth twisted in a rueful grimace. "I guess I was too scared to admit how I felt, in case you…" she trailed off.

"In case I did not feel the same." Seven nodded, knowing exactly how she felt. Suddenly her smile grew, and she told B'Elanna, "Then I believe we should both be grateful to your Klingon half."

B'Elanna laughed freely, sharing a grin with Seven. The ex-Borg marveled at the sound, barely believing the turn of events. She had come to B'Elanna's quarters sick with the idea that she had hurt the woman she felt so much for, only to then be the one to draw such happy, carefree sounds from her.

"B'Elanna Torres –" she began, only to be cut off by the woman she was addressing.

"Drop the Torres stuff," she teased. "Just B'Elanna is fine."

"Very well then, 'Just B'Elanna.'" Seven teased back, causing B'Elanna to stick her tongue out at her.

Focusing back on her question, she asked, "Do you retain all the memories of your split halves, B'Elanna?"

B'Elanna nodded, her eyes trained on Seven's.

"Including the last time I was in your quarters?"

"Yes," she rasped, her pupils immediately expanding, Seven was gratified to notice.

"Then I would like to propose an experiment."

B'Elanna's brow furrowed slightly in confusion, but she agreed. "Okay…"

With a twinkle in her eye, Seven reached up to cup B'Elanna's jaw, running her thumb lightly across her cheek. "I would like to study whether the recombination of genetic halves affects the sensation of kissing."

B'Elanna stifled a laugh, now eager to play along.

"That is an interesting question," she said in mock thoughtfulness, stepping closer and slipping a hand around Seven's waist.

"All I need is a participant to help me study this phenomenon." Seven's fingers drifted to B'Elanna's temple, stroking lightly at her rich, dark hair.

B'Elanna's other hand slid up Seven's back and curled around her shoulder, finally drawing them flush together. Seven gasped at the contact.

"I think I know where you can find one," she purred, tilting her head back as she waited for Seven to close the distance.

Seven couldn't help but pause, taking a moment to drink in the sight of the woman before her. The faint relief of her forehead ridges, her dark eyelashes against her tan cheeks, her full lips just so slightly parted – it was perfection as the ex-drone had never expected.

Finally, she dipped her head to B'Elanna's, keeping her eyes open until the last second as their lips pressed together. Seven couldn't help but moan at the sensation she had feared she would never feel again.

For a few seconds she catalogued her senses, surprised at the true number of differences between this kiss and the first. B'Elanna's lips had the same lovely, sweet taste, but with an underlying sharpness that just made them even more intoxicating. She was less tentative, the movement and pressure of her mouth making Seven grasp her shoulder to steady herself. Even her physiological reactions were different, the staccato beating of her twin hearts against Seven's chest driving her own to higher speeds.

Soon, though, she stopped being able to make any meaningful observations, getting lost in the sensations. B'Elanna's hands had wrapped around her back, her fingers splayed against her spine, pressing her ever closer. Seven carded her fingers through her thick hair, cupping the back of her head as their lips moved together.

This time it was B'Elanna that ran her tongue over Seven's lips, tracing her bottom lip before running along the seam. Seven readily opened her mouth for her, both of them moaning as their tongues met.

They took a minute to explore each other's mouths, tongues rolling languidly over each other and along the backs of teeth. Then suddenly, B'Elanna lightly nipped the tip of Seven's tongue, causing her to gasp and pull back.

B'Elanna's eyes were alight with amusement and desire in equal measure, her pupils nearly eclipsing her irises. Seven felt her heart pound in response, a fission of heat sliding low into her belly.

Slowly, without speaking, B'Elanna began to guide her backwards, her mouth licking and nipping across her jaw.

The backs of Seven's knees hit the edge of the couch, and B'Elanna lowered her down, climbing up to straddle her lap as soon as she was seated. Her mouth immediately sought out Seven's pulse point, trailing hot, open-mouthed kisses towards the join of her neck and shoulder.

Seven found herself throwing her head back, allowing B'Elanna more room to keep producing such wonderful sensations. Finally, B'Elanna's lips locked on to her pulse, sucking hard. Seven could do nothing but hold on, her nails raking against B'Elanna's uniform jacket.

Unable to take much more, Seven pulled B'Elanna away from her neck, drawing her back up into a deep kiss, both hands buried in her hair as she arched into her touch.

At last, they separated, B'Elanna lightly tugging on Seven's lower lip before pulling away fully.

"So," she teased breathlessly, her fingers reaching up to with the fine hairs at the nape of Seven's neck, "have you been able to draw any conclusions?"

Giving herself a moment to catch her own breath, Seven shook her head.

"Not yet. I believe I need more data," she reported coyly, wrapping slender hands around B'Elanna's backside and drawing her closer. "I have not had the opportunity to compare the full mating habits of Klingons to my current findings."

B'Elanna let out a low laugh, hunger swiftly reentering her gaze. "You're just a regular horndog, aren't you?"

Seven cocked her head, raising her ocular implant. "I do not see how a canine with horns is relevant to our situation"

B'Elanna rolled her eyes, but could not hide the smile tugging at the corner of her mouth. A low growl rumbling in her chest, she ordered, "Just shut up and kiss me."

Seven was all too happy to comply.


End file.
